Casing ring and wedge apparatus



1*. D. Glass; Y -cAslN'G RING-AND wEnGE'AjFPAR/nus.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I2. T921.

Paiente Nov. EL@ 31.922..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. D. GIBBS.

CASING RING AND WEDGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man nec. 12. 1921.

L@ Patented. Nov.. M, 11922.,

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

f t /ff o yk) 'I AM;

@www @Umweg 36 overcome by my device.

Patented Nov. lll, 1922.

A masses career ottica.

JAMES D. GIBBS, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CASING RING AND WEDGE APPARATUS.

.appu'caaonmea December 12, 1921. serial no. 521,2311.`

To all whom 1125 may concern.:

Be it known that I, JAMES D. GIBBs' vcitizen of the United States, and a resident of-Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements `in Casing Ringsand Wedge Apparatus, of which the -following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvelo ments in casing wedges or slips designed for use in lowering casing pipes into-well holes and aims to provide means which may be easil controlled by la single operator and whic will firmly grip the pipe around its entire periphery.

The invention includes the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined by the appended claims.

An embodiment ofmy invention. is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved slip orV wedge device, partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side. elevation.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on a smaller scale showing the wedge operating mechanism, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the operating crank.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

' Heretofora so far as I am aware, in the lowering of casing tubes it has been custom- Si@ ary to hold the tube stationary, when desired, by inserting individual wedges between the tube and casing ring, and to support the tube properly and without injury a plurality of wedges must be used, simultaneously in- 4@ serted, which requires a pluralit of operators and this is a diiiicult operation, and it is furthermore a hard matter to properly release the wedges when the tube is to be lowered further, all of which objections are Referring by reference characters to this drawing and first to Fig'. 4, the numeral 1 designates the derrick floor and 2 the timbers which are usually laid across the same about the cellar opening, upon which timbers the casing ring or member 3 is supported.

This casing ring has its inner face in the a shape of an inverted truncated cone, as ndli cated at 3f, which is preferably lined by a correspondlngly flared bushing 3".

\- The wedges are indicated at 4c and are disposed 1n annular arrangement with their outer beveled faces slidably engaging the inner face of the bushing, while their 1nner faces are preferably serrated or toothed to enable them to better grip the pipe. The wedges have lug or flange portions 4f which overhang the -top of the bushing and lin'iit the downward movement of vthe wedges.

Overlying all the wedges isa lifting ring 5 which is designed to be raised and lowered by llfter members or rods 6 which are slida l mounted in guide passages in the ring an have reduced portions 6a which pass through openings in the lifting ring or late 5, such reduced portions forming shou ders which bear against the under face of the lifting ring and being provided with nuts 6b at their upper ends for securing the plate thereto.

The wedges are guided in their upward movement and raised by the lifting plate through the following means. Guide pins 7 are slidabl mounted inv inclined guide openings int e bushing and have reduced portions 7a which pass through corresponding openings' in the lugsv 4a, the reduced portions forming shoulders which bear against the lower faces of the lugs. These reduced portions also pass through radial slots 5a in the-lifting ring and are provided at their lupper ends with heads 7b which overlap the slots and bear a ainst the upper face of the lifting ring or pate on each side thereof. By this arrangement vertical movement vof the lifting ring raises and lowers the guide pins which imparts reciprocating movementI to the wedges, the slots permitting radial movement of the reduced portions of the guide pins therein.

In order to impart vertical movement to the lifting plate I provide a plurality of rock shafts 8 journaled in horizontal tubular passages formed in the ring member 3 which are geared to oscillate in unison by bevel gears 9 located in cut away portions r recesses in the casing member. Two of these rock shafts carry arms 8a which have ends engaging grooves or recesses 6c in the lifting pins 6 above referred to. A lever arm 11 fast on the third rock shaft, is conwird by a esble element 0r cable 12,

passing around suitable pulleys 13 and 13, wit-h a winding drum 14a journaled .on shaft 14 carried by a suitable and convenient post or support 15. This ulley carries a hand crank 14b by which 1t may .be rotated to wind up the cable and thus ralse'the wedges to,A release the casing pipe.

To enable the operator to hold thewedges elevated and release them at will while ho ing the crank against sudden movement, I provide a rod or pitman 16 which has lts upper end pivotally connected to the crank at 16a and its lower end slidably passed through a guide opening in the floor.

Preferabl the rod is encircled by a long1 tudinally a justable sleeve 16t which 1s held A in adjusted position by lock nuts 16b and 16c threaded on the pitman, which sleeve slides freely in said guide o ening and can oscillate therein. A stop evice in the shape of a treadle member 17 is attached to this sleeve, and the drum being of such dimensions that a little less than one complete rotation imparts the necessary movement to the wedges (as shown in Fig. 4,) when the stop will contact with the floor and limit the movement in either direction; After the operator has turned the crank in the wedge lifting direction indicated by the arrow until the stop has again contacted'with the floor, by placing his foot on the stop he can hold the slips out of contact with the pipe, leaving his hands free for other purposes.

It will be obvious that anycable or flexible connection between the drum and lever at the casing ring would be likely to stretch and requlre adjustment from time to time. To provide for this the crank is adjustable on the drum upon loosening clamp nut X, and when so loosened the crank is turned to the limit or until the stop contacts with the floor, whereupon a wrench or like tool (not shown) is applied to the square portion 14d of the shaft 14 which is turned thereby until all the slack is taken out of the cable,

after which the clamp nut X is again tightened. If desired the abutting faces of the crank and drum may be corrugated to increase the grippingA action.

When circumstances are such as to render it desirable the arm 11 may be lengthened to form a hand lever for direct manipulation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In apparatus of the class described, a casing member having a pipe passage, a plurality of pipe gripping members annularly arranged about said passage, a pair of parallel rock shafts supported by and penetrating said casing member, a third rock shaft extending between the ends of said first named shaft, intermeshing bevel gears connecting said shafts, operating connections between said rock shafts and gripping mem.

of sa1dv first named shafts, bevel gears con- Y necting said shafts, operating connections between said rock shafts and gripping members whereby movement of the rock shafts vmoves said gripping members, an arm on one of said rock shafts, a winding drum with lmeans for operating it, and a flexible element leading from said arm to said winding! drum.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a casing member having a pipe passage, a plurality of pipe grippin members annularly arranged about sai passage, a plurality of rock shafts supported by 'said casing member and connected to rotate in unison, operative connections between said rock shafts and gripping members whereby movement of the rock shafts moves'said gripping members, anarm on one of said rock shafts, a winding drum with means for operating it, and a flexible element leading from said arm to said winding drum, a hand crank for rotating said winding drum, a pitman connected to said crank, a guide in which said pitman is slidably mounted, and a stop carried by said pitman designed to coact with said guide.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a casing member having a pipe passage, av plurality of pipe gripping members annularly arranged about said passage, a plurality of rock shafts supported by said casing member and connected to rotate in unison, operative connections between said rock shafts and gripping members whereby movement of the rock shafts moves said gripping members, an arm on one of said rock shafts, a winding drum with means for operating it, and a flexible element leading from said arm to said winding drum, a hand crank for rotating said winding drum, a pitman connected to said crank, a guide in which said 'pitman is slidably mounted, and a stop carried by said pitman designed to co-act with said vguide, said stop being adjustably carried by sald pitman and having a tread member.

5. In apparatus of the class described',- al

casin member having a pipe passage, a plur ity of grip-ping members carried thereby and movable to engage and disengage the pipe, and means for o erating said gripping members including a exible cable, a winding drum therefor, a crank for o @rams the drum having a suitable hand e,

e. pitman pivotally connected to the crank,a guide for said pltman, asto on said pltman cooperating with said gulde, and means for adjusting the crank with relation to the drum.

6. In combination a casing member having l a flared pipe passage, aplurality of annularly arranged gripping wedges slidably arranged in said passage, a lifting ring overlying said wedges and having a radially slidable lifting connection therewith, rock shafts disposed about three sides of said assage and geared to oscillate in unison, lfting arms carried by said rock shafts and connected with said liftin ring, and means for operatinvsaid rock s afts.

In combination a casing member having a -ared pipe passage, a plurality of wedges annularly arranged about said passage, and having outwardly extending lug portions, a lifting plate having radial slots aligning with said lug portions, guide rods carried by said casing member and having reduced portions forming shoulders engaging the under side of said lug portions, said reduced portions extending through said slots and having heads overlap ing the slots, and means for raising and owering said lifting'plate.

8. 1n combination a casing member having a flared pipe passage, a -plurality of wedges annularly arranged about said passage, and having outwardly extending lug portions, a lifting plate having radial slots allgning with said lug portions, guide rods carried by said casing member and having reduced portions forming shoulders engaging the under side of said lug portlons,

sald reduced portions extending through said slots and having heads overlapping the slots, and means for raising and lowering s-ald Ilifting plate, said means comprising vertically movable lifting pins, rook shafts having arms connected to said lifting pins, and means for operating said rock shafts.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JAMES D. GIBBS.

Witnesses:

H. H. FRENKE, F. W. WELLER. 

